Onirism

About

Onirism is a single player and multiplayer platformer game. It was developed by onirism and was released on October 23, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

In "Onirism," help Carol navigate through dream worlds to rescue her kidnapped plushie from a mysterious thief. Armed with toys and clever gadgets, Carol faces various challenges and difficult puzzles. Enjoy a dynamic single-player experience and numerous local multiplayer modes, including co-op, survival, and special events.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+23

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 598 reviews

gameplay46 positive mentions

optimization15 negative mentions

The game is filled with charm and creativity, reminiscent of classic 3D platformers and shooters.
There is a vast amount of content, including a variety of weapons, costumes, and game modes, providing a rich gameplay experience.
The visuals are vibrant and engaging, creating a whimsical atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, making it feel unpolished and at times frustrating to play.
Navigation can be confusing due to the lack of a map or clear objectives, leading to players getting lost easily.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as jumping and platforming, can feel inconsistent and lead to frustrating moments.

gameplay
146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
63%
5%
The gameplay of Onirism is a vibrant blend of third-person shooting, platforming, and exploration, drawing inspiration from classic titles while introducing unique mechanics and a dreamlike aesthetic. Players appreciate the variety of weapons, engaging combat, and the incorporation of stealth elements, though some find the lack of focus and occasional bugs detract from the experience. Overall, the game offers a fun and nostalgic gameplay loop, appealing to both new and veteran players, despite some criticisms regarding its execution and design choices.
- “Set within a surreal dream world that operates on playful logic rather than realism, Onirism is less concerned with restraint or genre purity and more focused on delivering an experience that constantly surprises the player with new ideas, mechanics, and visual spectacles.”
- “The movement mechanics for the game are also fantastic, combining options from games like Max Payne and Unreal Tournament to create fantastic moments like divebombing into prone to avoid enemy fire, dodging an explosion by rolling on the ground before returning fire.”
- “The gameplay is fast and responsive, the combat feels good and the dialogue is so funny.”
- “The sheer volume of content and ideas can occasionally feel overwhelming, particularly for players who prefer tightly focused mechanics or minimalist design.”
- “It starts out fun but my experience was quickly soured by mediocre gameplay and lots of bugs.”
- “But as it is, gameplay just feels very basic and meaningless, which makes the meat of the gameplay incredibly mind-numbing to play.”
story
127 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
83%
3%
The game's story is generally perceived as simple and charming, revolving around a young girl's quest to retrieve her stolen plushie, which resonates with players for its authenticity and humor. While some reviewers appreciate the character development and engaging environments, others note pacing issues and bugs that hinder progression, particularly in the later stages. Overall, the narrative is seen as a lighthearted backdrop to the gameplay, with potential for deeper exploration as the game continues to develop.
- “The story is very charming and the characters are all endearing.”
- “The plot of the game is dead simple — you're diving into the world of dreams to save your plushy hare bunbun.”
- “The story is quirky and childish in the best way possible.”
- “One genuine fault I would say is the story.”
- “To get this out of the way, the story and writing in this game are minimal; they barely exist and are just an excuse for player motivation. The real meat and bones of this game is the gameplay.”
- “Currently, the story cutscenes aren't implemented yet, so there's basically no plot other than 'go here, grab this power-up, kill this boss' so far as I've gotten.”
graphics
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
54%
5%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, charming art style and beautiful visuals, often compared to classic titles like Ratchet & Clank and Crash Bandicoot. While many players appreciate the unique aesthetic and detailed environments, some report performance issues and graphical bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some optimization concerns.
- “The game’s biggest strength is its gorgeous graphics!”
- “The visuals are clear, colorful, and almost like a digital painting where every level tries to create its own atmosphere, combining that with guns that range from toy-like to more realistic.”
- “This is a beautiful platformer with gorgeous artwork and music.”
- “I played the game for an hour, but I couldn’t endure the lag and poor graphics.”
- “The game is amazingly unoptimized (it runs really badly, pretty much regardless of whatever you do, it's unreal engine used poorly) and you can't adjust settings in-game, and you're forced to sit through an opening cutscene (unskippable) if you're just starting the game, and trying to get graphical settings that actually work.”
- “Word to the wise, turn down the graphics a little or you can expect lag here and there; they went all out with the level detail, and it can get a little overwhelming.”
humor
73 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and creativity, drawing comparisons to classic titles like Conker's Bad Fur Day and Gex, with many players finding the dialogue and character interactions genuinely hilarious. The protagonist, Carol, is highlighted as a particularly funny and endearing character, contributing to a lighthearted atmosphere filled with unexpected comedic moments. Overall, the game successfully blends cute visuals with witty humor, making it a delightful experience for players seeking both fun gameplay and laughs.
- “It's got that classic 90s Gex-esque humor to the enemies, NPCs, and the world.”
- “The humor is fun, the characters are memorable, and the soundtrack is excellent.”
- “The gameplay is fast and responsive, the combat feels good, and the dialogue is so funny.”
music
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
47%
5%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its energetic and dynamic compositions, enhancing the overall gameplay experience with catchy soundtracks that suit various worlds. While many players appreciate the vibrant and nostalgic tunes reminiscent of classic games, some have noted issues with music volume during cutscenes and occasional audio glitches. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, with requests for an official release reflecting its popularity among players.
- “The music gets thumping, the guitar riffs get going, and the action is a blast.”
- “The gameplay feels smooth, the world is huge, and the soundtrack absolutely slaps.”
- “Ranging from beautiful ambient pieces to blood-pumping battle themes, the overall quality of the OST goes from 'pretty good' to 'gonna wake up the neighbors with that banger', with the latter fitting a great majority of the game's music.”
- “Music sometimes overlaps cutscenes and dialogue.”
- “While I love the music, there have been a few cutscenes where I could barely hear the dialogue because of how loud the music was.”
- “Sometimes the triggers for music to stop or start also break, so when I got a break from the ambient loop, I got stuck in an unending combat music loop that wore itself out faster than it probably would have if it were working correctly.”
optimization
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
65%
28%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, stuttering, and frame rate issues even on high-end hardware. Numerous bugs, unresponsive menus, and a lack of quality-of-life features further exacerbate the experience, leading to frustration among users. While some updates have improved performance slightly, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization work to reach its full potential.
- “It lacks a tiny bit of polish here and there, and the performance could be better (no DLSS), but I'm having a really good time so far.”
- “The optimization also isn’t the greatest — there’s barely any difference between the low and ultra settings.”
- “The devs are patching the game still and quality of life + optimizations are getting added thankfully, so I'd still call it an easy recommendation with the note that if you're considering this or another game, maybe get the other game first and check back on this one later once more updates have improved it further.”
- “But the optimization is garbage; hitboxes on lethal obstacles are badly tied to the obstacle, and some basic quality of life options are just not present, such as any sort of tooltip or description of any menu item.”
- “Optimization needs improvement, especially because even high-end rigs experience Unity-style frame pacing issues and stuttering.”
- “The game is amazingly unoptimized; it runs really badly, pretty much regardless of whatever you do. It's Unreal Engine used poorly, and you can't adjust settings in-game.”
stability
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs, glitches, and performance issues that can disrupt gameplay. While many appreciate the game's charm and potential, the overwhelming consensus is that it requires substantial quality control and optimization before it can be recommended. Players have noted that the current state is often described as a "buggy mess," with some experiencing game-breaking issues and lost progress.
- “This game could have been amazing, but it's just another game that paid very little attention to quality control, and was released buggy as hell.”
- “The reason I can't recommend it though is because the 1.0 release is just buggy as hell.”
- “This is probably being addressed, but the game is a really buggy mess at the moment, and not 'my hair is messing up' kind of bug, but the game-breaking kind.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, vibrant colors, and immersive sound design, creating a captivating and inviting experience. Reviewers highlight the artistic sensitivity in level design and the combination of whimsical and eerie elements that enhance gameplay. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as magical and nostalgic, reminiscent of classic titles, making it a compelling reason to keep playing.
- “The visuals are clear, colorful, and almost like a digital painting where every level tries to create its own atmosphere, combining that with guns that range from toy-like to realistic, always playing with an upbeat yet grayish tone.”
- “With stunning art, eerie atmospheres, and a story that’ll have you questioning reality, it’s a journey straight out of a forgotten PlayStation classic.”
- “Onirism's world has a magical art style with a vivid color palette and an atmospheric soundtrack that goes way harder than it has any right to, especially in combat sections.”
- “The visuals are clear, colorful, and almost like a digital painting where every level tries to create its own atmosphere, combining that with guns that range from toy-like to more realistic, always playing with an upbeat yet grayish tone.”
- “The dreamy atmosphere always makes you want to go back and play more.”
- “This last point, immersion, is the game's added value: the settings are assembled with great artistic sensitivity, the sound effects and atmosphere are omnipresent, and their spatialization significantly enhances the gameplay.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
12%
38%
Character development in the game is highlighted by its vibrant art direction and expressive character designs, which enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the charming main character, Carol, whose complex personality evolves throughout the story, prompting a desire for deeper character growth as her motivations and relationships unfold. Overall, the combination of appealing visuals and engaging character arcs contributes to a lively and immersive world.
- “I'm also very fond of the character designs, in particular of the villagers.”
- “With good character designs for enemies and friends alike, and a really beautiful world.”
- “Charming main character & character designs: Carol is adorable in both her English and French voices, tending to be a bit of a brat who only does the right thing if it helps her own goals.”
- “I would like to see some character development too; just have her be a little bit nicer the closer she gets to rescuing her bunny.”
- “The character development feels lacking, as characters often seem one-dimensional and their motivations unclear.”
- “I was hoping for more depth in the characters' backstories and relationships, but they often feel flat and unengaging.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The game offers significant replayability through various modes and extensive content, even in its early access state. Players can enjoy a replayable main campaign, numerous arcade maps, and a wealth of customization options, ensuring many hours of engaging gameplay. Additionally, the exploration and secrets within the game encourage players to revisit chapters and levels for a richer experience.
- “Beyond the main campaign, Onirism expands its scope with additional modes that significantly enhance replay value.”
- “Lots of exploration, lots of weapons, lots of customization (outfits), a very replayable main campaign, several arcade mode maps... you can get a lot of hours of high-quality content even if you buy it during early access.”
- “Even though still in early access, there is already a huge amount of content to enjoy with various game modes that add a lot of replayability long after completing the still-in-development main campaign/story mode.”
- “The first two chapters of the story are playable and it took me around 15 hours to get through; however, there are still secrets I have yet to uncover.”
- “My TL;DR is buy this game after a few patches have made it more playable.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game is praised for its monetization model, offering a wealth of content and cosmetics without any microtransactions, season passes, or in-game purchases. At a low price point of $18 (often available for even less), it stands out as a complete gaming experience free from the typical monetization pitfalls seen in many modern titles. Players appreciate the absence of gacha mechanics and live service elements, emphasizing that it feels like a genuine video game.
- “Also local splitscreen, a huge plethora of cosmetics (with no microtransactions), and all things considered only $18 asking price (I even bought it on sale half off for less than $10).”
- “It does not ask you for microtransactions, nor a season pass, nor whatever nonsense plagues today's gaming industry. For $15, this game has vastly more content, charisma, guts, and heart than almost anything being sold today as a 'main' production.”
- “It does never ask you for microtransactions, nor season pass, nor whatever bulls*** plagues today's gaming industry. For 15 dollars, this game has vastly more content, charisma, guts, and heart than almost anything being sold today as a 'main' production.”
- “+ no gacha, no live service slop, no monetization hell.”
- “No microtransactions, no battle pass, no in-game purchases - just an actual, real video game.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its beauty and emotional depth, evoking feelings of joy and wonder in players. However, some elements, such as random characters with fleeting emotional backstories, may detract from the overall experience.
- “The developer has created something beautiful, expressive, and deeply emotionally resonant.”
- “This game made me feel a kind of joy and wonder I don’t get often, and I don’t take that lightly.”
- “There’s a bunch of other stuff too, like random characters that show up out of nowhere, try to dump emotional backstories on you, and vanish just as fast.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the lack of fast travel options, which makes exploring and combat feel repetitive and time-consuming. While the game has enjoyable elements, the excessive grinding detracts from the overall experience.
- “And since there is no intra-level fast traveling mechanic, it got tedious trying to open every chest and fight every enemy (I am looking at you, that one part of the Rusty Canyon).”
- “Note: I played many similar games, some of which this one takes its ideas from (hello Metroid Prime!), and many were not easy, but this is just too tedious compared to the overall fun.”